Corul Sound: "Shedrik, Shedrik (Carol of the Bells)"

According to a hasty YouTube search, no mainstream artists have done a cover of "Shedrik," otherwise known as "Carol of the Bells," in its original Ukranian. This is probably because the song is more of a choir piece as opposed to something Mariah Carey can take and explode from the inside. This random Ukranian Romanian choir's version is short and sweet and well-executed.

Learning the Ukranian was a right of passage in my high school choir, as we sang it every year for our holiday recital. We sang it as fast as humanly possible, because it sounded awesome that way, and because we were impatient teenagers. The way the middle swells, when the sopranos hit the top note near the end -- it gives me chills every time.

See you on Monday for the second half and thrilling conclusion of Daijams' 12 Days of Christmas!

This post is dedicated to my friend Meaghan Joyce, who just returned from a two-year stint in the Peace Corps in -- you guessed it -- the Ukraine. Welcome back to the States, Meaghan!